The Elder Scrolls: Arena
by thenerdwriter
Summary: The Emperor, Uriel Septim VII has been imprisoned in another dimension by Jagar Tharn, who has also taken the emperor's form. Talin, a student of sorcery at the palace, is the only one left who can save the emperor and defeat Tharn, but will he be able to complete such an impossible task when the odds are stacked against him?
1. Chapter 1

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _Talin awoke to the sound of water falling to stone. As he slowly opened his eyes, the slime-covered ceiling and walls filled his view. _Where am I? _Carefully, Talin sat up against the cold stone wall. It hurt, but he managed it. _Drip. Drip. Drip. _The water continued to fall.

Looking about, he noticed the chains hanging from the walls. Rusty. Broken. It was a dungeon, Talin realized; an old one, at that. He heard rats skitter past outside the heavy iron door as a fetid breeze blew into the cell, carrying with it the smell of death. It was dank and dark, certainly not a very pleasant place. _But how did I wind up in here?_

Of course he remembered coming to the Imperial City (all the way from the far northern province of Skyrim, in fact), and his long months of training in the magical arts, but no more than that. He bore the scars of battle, but had no recollection of such. _How could the a good King's man wind up down here? _And based on the length of his hair and untrimmed beard, he had been down there for no short length of time.

Upon closer examination, he realized where he was. The dungeons in the sewer far beneath the Imperial city were seldom used, a place where people went to die. He himself had visited it but once, and that had not been but to retrieve a lost child, a task that, thankfully, did not take long; and he had been frightened then. But he had heard the tales of the awful place. It was supposedly infested with goblins, and massive rats, stories that he did not doubt. It was truly an awful place.

He knew that nobody would come for him, though. _I have been left here to die_. Indeed, he found that he did not even wear the plain burlap garb of a prisoner, but still wore his nightclothes. And he still had his dagger with him. He even had kept his pouch with him, albeit empty of the gold coins he had carried. He was exactly how he had remembered falling asleep, what must have been oh so many nights ago, but for the pain in his head, and the bruises on his arms and stomach.

Slowly, carefully, Talin arose, walking shakily to the iron door. He checked it. Even as rusted and neglected as it was, it would hold for a long time yet. This is where he would die.

He collapsed back down atop a stone bench accepting his fate. It was cold, wet, slimy, just as the cell walls were. There was not one bit of food had been left for him, nor water. He supposed he could catch rats and kill him with his dagger, and perhaps collect the water from the ceiling, but even if he managed to keep it from poisoning him, he doubted if he even wanted to prolong his miserable life in the dungeons.

Suddenly, he noticed the lone candle that lit the room had begun to flicker. If he lost the sole source of light in his cell… Talin rushed over to the candle in an attempt to keep the flame alive, ignoring the pain in his stomach. But the breeze rushing through the chamber was too strong.

Even as one light flickered out, though, another flickered on. Slowly, the air at the center of the cell seemed to brighten. At first strong enough only to barely see five feet away, but slowly it brightened, lighting every corner of the cell, the light became a brilliant, blinding light. Talin whipped around, holding his hand up to protect his eyes, he watched as the ball of light slowly coalesced into the body of a woman. Someone familiar…

Ria Silmane. Talin had studied the ways of sorcery under Ria, Jagar Tharn's, the Imperial Battle Mage, senior apprentice. In their time together at the Imperial palace, they had gotten to know each other quite well, and had become great friends. Now she appeared before Talin in a strange form, one he had not known her to take. Wrapped in gossamer robes, she wavered before him, bathed in a blue light, beautiful as ever, though her face was drawn with sadness.

"Do not fear for it is I, Ria Silmane. Talin, listen to me, there are no others left to carry on this fight. You have been left in this cell to die." Her voice boomed across the cell as she spoke. "Jagar Tharn, Imperial Battle Mage of Tamriel has taken on the guise of the true Emperor. He does not see you as a threat, being only a minor part of the Imperial Court. In that act of arrogance, he has made his first mistake.

"Look to the north wall of this cell. You will find a ruby key which will unlock the door. Take it and make your escape. The passages here were once used by Tharn to hide treasures he had stolen from the Emperor's coffers. If you wish, you can gather enough to support yourself away from the Imperial Seat. Be careful, there are many creatures which inhabit the sewers now, vile rats and goblins.

"It is too late for me, for I am already dead. Only my powers as a Sorceress keep me between this life and the next. That power however is waning. Do not succumb to greed or you may find these tunnels to be your final resting place as well. I can still work my magic to a certain extent. If you travel west from this cell, then south, you will find a Shift Gate. It will transport you far enough from the center of the Empire that you should be safe. If you survive these sewers, you will see me again.

"Remember, Talin, Tharn has taken on the guise of the Emperor. No one will gainsay his word for yours. I will come to you again in your dreams, so it is imperative that you rest from time to time. In that way I will be able to communicate with you and lend my aid. You are entering a dangerous arena, my friend, one in which the players are beings beyond your mortal comprehension. I do not envy your role. There is however a power with you as yet untapped. Look for me when you have gained experience in the world. You are my last and best hope…"

Talin's mind raced. He had so many questions, so many feelings all stuck up inside his head. His best friend, the only person he felt he could trust in the entire world was dead. _What had happened to everyone else? How could I be the only one left? Why me? How am I supposed to defeat Tharn?_

But before he could even say one word, the form of Ria began to fade. He cried after her, but it was too late, she was gone. The shimmering blue orb shown no longer as the lone candle on the wall came back to life, leaving the tiny cell dimly lit. He remembered the ruby key. Turning, the glint of something off to his right caught his eye. Walking over to it, he beheld the intricately worked golden key, inlaid with the bright ruby. The way out.

Walking over to the heavy cell door, he carefully slid the key in, turning it slowly. The door clicked and swung open. The dark, gaping hallway stood before him, beckoning. Blade in hand, he hesitated only a moment before stepping out into the unknown. Talin's quest had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _Talin could still hear the water as it formed slowly into a tiny bead, hanging to the cold stone for just a moment longer than seemed natural, before finally releasing its tight grip on all it knew and falling to the dirty floor below. Water that had made the journey from snow-capped peaks, down crevasses, through streams, and gullies, and mighty rivers, past cities great and small, to eventually find its way through the earth to the cavernous sewer, ending its life in the thick muck before Talin's feet.

The darkness surrounded him in the hall. The musty air _whooshed _past his ears, into his nose and mouth. He coughed. The dank air in here had the smell of death on it. The various sounds of the tunnels came to his ears. The skittering of sharp claws on bare stone, strange moaning noises, and, worst of all, the sounds of goblins.

_So the rumors were true? They must be. _Talin had faced goblins before. Once. On his way to the Imperial City. He remembered such an event well. One did not soon forget goblins, nor their first taste of combat.

He and his friends, Burba and Nil, had been travelling with only a wagon full of food and a couple of packhorses through the Pale Pass. Not much, but evidently enough to attract goblins. That had been the first time he had drawn the blood of another. Sure, he had gone hunting before, but never had he killed another _thinking_ being. His friends did not wish to use their swords again, and neither did Talin. It had frightened all of them enough for a whole year of nightmares, and they had barely made it to Cyrodiil alive after they had been forced to leave their possessions to the goblins. Even so, it appeared Talin might indeed need to use his blade again, and soon.

The calls echoing down the halls were just as he remembered them. A deep, ugly, guttural sound, deaths wings flapping wildly in the cold night air. And the drums, he heard them too. A steady beat. They knew he was there.

He strained to see what was outside his cell, but it was impossible. No matter how hard he stared into the darkness, all he saw was black as pitch.

Carefully, Talin pried the candle out of the nearby iron sconce. He hushed a shout, and a whispered _BLAST! _as the hot beads of wax dripped down onto his fingers. Smoke curled up where it touched his bare flesh, but there was not much he could do about it. He had to get out of the dungeon. Turning back to the door he saw finally what lay before him.

The sewers were a complex system of various tunnels and gates that ran every which way. Hallways that led to dead ends were common, and certain areas of the sewer flooded quickly and unpredictably. He hoped it was not raining topside.

Ria had said to go southwest to the Shift Gate. Regrettably, her directions were useless, seeing as he lacked a compass. Even if he did have a compass, he was not exactly sure how the Shift Gate worked. He had heard stories of them, but they were not very common at all. Too complex, taxing on one's abilities for most, and in many places, the arcane arts weren't exactly looked upon…fondly. He would have to hope his luck held out.

Starting forward, his dagger held out in front of him, at whatever lay in the darkness beyond the light, he noticed an old suit of armor lying, disused, off to one side. Ria had mentioned that the sewers were filled with quite a bit of gold and bits of armor and weaponry, enough to support himself outside of the Empire. He supposed that this was one of the caches she had mentioned.

The armor would only serve to restrict his movement, he knew from training. Even facing goblins alone, he would prefer to do it without the armor, especially if he decided to try what little magic he knew on them. Besides, he also knew from training that the armor did not offer much protection at all. He still had a few black and blue marks on him that were not from being dragged to his cell.

Taking with him only what he could eventually sell, Talin continued cautiously down the hall, towards a fork in the path. In front of him, the path continued on straight, but off to his right a smaller path ran off along the water, eventually to what looked like a sort of bridge, in the dim light. He heard the goblin calls, closer this time, and in front of him, straight ahead it seemed. He heard the drums, and the pounding of their feet on the stone, coming towards him.

Talin bolted off to his right. One hand, with his dagger, touching the wall, and the other tightly wrapped around the warm candle (He did not dare put the candle out, even if it might alert the goblins, despite the fact that it was not very bright. For he had no way to light it again). He was careful not slip on the slick stones underfoot, for he knew not what lay in the murky water to his left. He ran as fast as he could. He did not know exactly how many followed him, but he could tell by the sounds of pursuit that there were many.

Suddenly, approaching the bridge ahead, he heard another cry out in front of him. Turning, his back against the moss-covered wall, he saw it. Its round face, lips red with blood, green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, its pointy ears as daggers being stabbed into the very sky. He saw its round belly, its thin, scrawny arms, the small leather loincloth, the only item of clothing it wore. Talin's eyes rose to the massive axe it wielded, nearly as big as the goblin that held it. The long, thick, haft rose a good four feet before tapering off into a sharp stake. The blade itself was a curved half-moon, very sharp. It wanted blood.

Suddenly, the goblin snarled and leapt at Talin. The seconds he stood there seemed to take hours. He watched as the muscles in its legs flexed, as it lifted off the ground, lunging across the bridge in a single bound, its axe held back, about to be swung.

As if it were instinct, Talin pulled his own blade back, swinging it in a straight line in front of him. At first, he felt only air. Then, something solid. It took Talin a moment to realize exactly what had happened. It lay there, unmoving. A yellowy shape, covered in blood. Those green eyes stared back out, glowing, at nothing. A deep wound ran across the creature's stomach. Talin dare not examine it to see if it had anything of value. _He had killed._

Stepping past the body, careful not to touch it, he walked through the open gate behind the goblin. _Its home, _he noticed, with a start. It didn't hold much. There was a stone slab that it seemed to use as a bed. A small pile of bones on one side. A few roots hung from the ceiling. No more than that. He could not imagine anyone living down here.

Walking out of the room, back across the bridge, he could hear them behind him again. Closer, this time. _Much _closer. Running, he noticed a small area off to his right. Cut into the wall was what looked like a sort of raised platform, large enough for a man to remain crouched in. It was dark in there. The goblins might not notice if he hid there. They were drawing nearer. It was worth a shot. In fact, he seemed to have no other choice.

Climbing up, he crawled to the back corner. It wreaked of feces in there, and death, and rotting flesh. The floor was covered in hair, and bones. _A rat den,_ Talin realized, to his horror. He could hear them squealing, saw the red eyes glowing at the edge of the darkness. And the rats here were _big _rats.

Suddenly, one emerged at the edge of the light, sniffing at something. For a moment it seemed not to notice. Its brown coat was matted with a mixture of blood and water and urine. Its long, pink tail, curled out behind him. It must have weighed at least five pounds. He could see the small black nose, the beady eyes, everything was there. He prayed it did not look up; and so it did.

They both sat there for a moment, Talin and the rat, staring at each other. Even the rat seemed to know that only one of them would get out alive. Talin knew it too, but he was not sure whether he meant the sewer or the rat.

The rat squealed, and rushed toward him. He caught it with his dagger, but even as he did so, a dozen others came out of the darkness towards him too, all screeching a high-pitched squeal. Surely, this would attract the attention of the goblins, natural predators of rats. He had to get out of there.

He tried to hold them off, hacking and slashing, he just needed enough of a break in the action to get out of there. If one even nicked him as he climbed out of the platform, with all the diseases they carried, well…he did not want to think. But they would not let up. He waved his sword wildly as the puddle of dark blood surrounding him grew wider. As he battled the horde, he inched his way slowly toward the exit.

Finally, with one, last, loud, screech, what seemed to be the final rat of the colony fell. Clambering out of the nest, he fell hard atop the stone. Behind him, he could see the green eyes not a hundred feet away. Picking himself up, he ran, not caring which way he went, not even bothering to cleanse his dagger, it still dripped with the blood of the rats. He could only hope that the goblins would be distracted enough by the rat meat to give him a chance to escape, and he could only hope that they had not seen him.

Talin ran through the winding tunnels. Through vast, dark rooms. He breathed heavily, the dank air filling his lungs. He saw the goblins he passed, their green eyes staring out at him, eyes alone, or in pairs. He did not care, he only cared about getting away.

Right, then left, then left again, then right, he knew not where he was headed. One goblin, peered out into the hall, axe raised, it planned to surprise him. Jumping, he narrowly missed, weaving past the goblin's legs, he cut at them. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as it fell in a bloody heap. Its screams followed him through the halls.

He ran into dead ends several times, and had to backtrack. He tried to keep moving quickly, but such proved difficult. He picked up treasure as he ran, so as to have _some _way to survive away from the city, but this only slowed him down too.

Eventually, Talin found himself in a great hall. The sounds of pursuit still followed. Behind him, he could hear still the shouts and the drums. The meat had delayed them, but not for long. They were coming for him.

The room seemed oddly familiar. On one end, stood two wide, gaping doorways, leading to more halls, and more goblins. On the other end ran the main sewer, the wide, filthy river of muck. He could smell it all the way across the hall. Across the sewer stood yet another gaping doorway, the bridge to it long-crumbled, impossible to get to. Behind him, the door he had entered through, and on the fourth wall…bodies. He could smell those too. The dungeons were not used often, but they were used, for the worst offenders. They were left for the goblins, and, worse, the rats. Rats like human flesh.

At the corner of one doorway, Talin noticed something, another bloody heap. Not a person, he could clearly see that, but something else. From what he had heard, there was nothing else down here but goblins and rats, and the occasional prisoner. He could not think of anything else that would willingly stay down here. As he drew closer, he saw it for what it was, and why the room looked so familiar. The goblin he had earlier wounded as he rounded the corner lay there, dead, now. He was running in circles.

There was no way out. All three would lead to goblins, and the one across the water he dared not try to reach, and risk the whatever it was that was in the water. There was no way out.

He could not climb up either, even if he thought that the way out might be up. The walls were slicked by water and blood. _Drums. Drums. Drums._ They were nearer. Gathering what he had, he tried to set up a barricade. Perhaps he could fight off the goblins.

It was then that he realized that he did not know which way they were coming. Suddenly, the water was looking much more pleasant. He would have to make a bet, with his life. He chose the doorway he had exited through the first time. He would have to work quickly. There was not much time.

Sweat dripped down his face despite the coolness of the place. He did not have long. He wondered how many they numbered. He had heard of packs hunting in hundreds, but he doubted if there were more than 25 marching towards him. Even so, he doubted if he could handle that many alone. He knew only one spell that could cause any harm, and he did not think he had the energy to even try it. He would have to rely on his blade.

He finished just as the green eyes began to round the corner at the end of the hall. The barricade was crude. Made only of sticks and bones, and lashed together only with roots and chains. He knew it could not hold for long. Picking up a nearby saber, he prepared to defend the room.

He watched as the rest rounded the corner. A lot more than 25, it looked more to be at least fifty, likely many more. He trembled as he watched. He had never before seen anything like it. He wondered why, with all the rats, they wanted him so badly? If they had plenty of food, the why? There was something abou-

Suddenly, instinct took over, and he was running for his life, sheathing his sword, he dropped the candle. He no longer cared what was in the water. He jumped in. The icy fingers gripped him. That door across the water was the only escape. He fought to swim for it, but the current pulled at him. Behind him, he could hear as the goblins broke through the barricade, could hear their screeching, their desire for blood. The waves reared up, washing over his face. He kept his mouth clamped shut. He was frightened. He had swum before, but he was certainly not very good at it, and the current here was strong. It pulled him on, past the door, into the canals.

The low ceilings brushed his head as he struggled to stay above the surface. The current pulled him roughly through twists and turns. Several times, he saw a means of escape in another hall, but he could never reach it. He had escaped the goblins, but not the sewers, not by a longshot.

Finally, the water slammed him into the floor of a hall. He struggled up onto it. Careful not to slip on wet floor. Finally, he pulled both legs up and over the lip of the floor. Luckily, the room was well lit by wall-mounted candles, and it seemed that the rest of the halls from here on out were too. He could no longer hear the goblins, but he knew they were there, the ones who had placed the candles. It was not over yet. He still did not know where he was, but he ran on.

After running for what seemed like hours through dank, dark, passageways, Talin found a place to rest; what looked like a small, forgotten hallway leading to a dead end. Sitting down, he realized just how long he had been in the sewers. His feet felt like they were on fire. He was not sure he could go on much longer. _How much sewer could there be? _The Shift Gate had to be getting close. He just needed a short rest…

Abruptly, the wall he had been leaning against swung back. As he looked behind him, he saw two very surprised goblins enter his field of view. Quickly, he unsheathed his dagger. He swung it quickly, and surely. Both screamed before falling to the floor, dead. Any hunting parties nearby would've heard the screams. The drums would be sounded again. He had to keep moving, despite exhaustion.

Once more, Talin found himself running for his life through dark, musty, halls. Faintly, he could hear the drums behind him as the signal went out. The only difference this time was the heads that stared back at him from the walls.

He knew the history of the sewers, originally much of it had been dungeons, and the carvings of heads, their mouths agape, had been put there for some unknown reason, perhaps to scare the prisoners, perhaps they were decorative, though the latter seemed quite unlikely. Anyhow, eventually, much of the dungeons were converted to the sewer system for the Imperial City, and many of the heads destroyed. However, here, they appeared to have been kept. Eerie relics of the past.

As he continued his flight, he could hear behind him the drums, louder. The beat was faster now, and quickly speeding up, and it was drawing near. They would outrun him soon.

Turning a corner, Talin found that the main light source was no longer the candles, but a faint, blue glow at the end of the hall, a long straightaway. His feet pounded against the cold stone. Adrenaline pumped through his veins.

Sparing a quick glance over his shoulders, his eyes met small pairs of green dots glaring back at him, right on his tail. One lunged for him. Jumping, Talin narrowly avoided the creature's outstretched hand. Unsheathing his sword, Talin prepared for a running battle against the horde he saw behind him. Another jumped, and was met with cold steel.

Ahead, the Shift Gate lay only a few hundred feet away. Talin could reach it in another minute as long as the goblins did not reach him first. Soon they would not even need to jump after him.

Not thirty more seconds and he would reach the exit. It looked as if he would escape after all! Talin picked up speed. He was almost there. Suddenly, a gap opened up between him and the gate. The canals ran right through his path. A wide gap between him and salvation. His mind raced. There was no other way but to jump.

Talin gave a powerful kick, and he lifted up off the ground. Behind him, he could hear the cries of more goblins. Screeching, beckoning him back, wanting blood. One leapt after him, catching his ankle. He barely had time to regain his balance before he hit the water.

The current was even stronger here. He struggled, slashing at the goblin fighting him, holding onto the bank with all of his strength. It snarled at him, spat at him. Talin held on. Finally he slashed at the goblin's fingers. It let go with a yelp as the current carried it below the surface. Clambering up, Talin sprinted toward the Shift Gate. More jumped after him, but they were too late.

As Talin bounded into the Shift Gate he was bathed in a brilliant blue light. The air here was cool. He had survived! He had escaped the sewers. The air seemed to shimmer before him just as it had when he had been contacted by Ria. He noticed a small black dot on the horizon. Growing, slow at first, then quickly. It grew and grew, until he was completely enveloped in darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Talin gasped for air as he stumbled out onto the street, out of darkness. The cold air had caught him off guard. It was like sharp knives, needles piercing his every inch of flesh. The tiny snowflakes bit at exposed skin. He was not expecting to arrive in a place so cold. He doubled over, coughing and sputtering. The passerby, bundled up in their warm clothes, didn't seem to pay much attention to the young man, reeling beside the small city gate, set deeply in the damp stone wall. Thank goodness. If what Ria had said was true, he most certainly couldn't afford to draw any attention to himself.

What Ria had said… So it wasn't just a bad dream after all. He did not know long he had been unconscious, but the memories were all there, clear as daylight, though there was nothing after the Shift Gate. What had he gotten himself into?

Regaining his composure a bit, he looked about as his vision adjusted to the bright light, quite a contrast from the dark sewers of the Imperial City. There was not much he could see, not in this weather. Blizzard conditions. Snow had already begun to accumulate on the ground beneath his feet. Despite the weather, the city was bustling with activity. People rushed to and fro. Alone and in pairs, each went about his business. Some conversed with smiths, others with grocers. From every street corner, hawkers cried their wares. The din of activity rose above the howling wind. The city didn't appear to be very large, but it was certainly bustling. There was no doubt about that.

And yet, Talin knew not where he was. It seemed oddly familiar. Then again, the province of Skyrim was a large one, and not necessarily a diverse one. Ria had simply said that the Shift Gate would take him…somewhere. Sheltering himself against the bitter chill as best he could, he joined the throng of people in the street, intent on getting some information regarding his location.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Talin asked as he walked in step with the crowd. She seemed to be a somewhat learned woman. Red hair, mid 40's, a good Queen's lady. She ignored him.

"Excuse me," he asked again, this time, a bit louder.

"Yes?" She turned around to face him, stopping dead in her tracks. The crowd continued past the two of them, an island in the middle of a river.

"Uhm…erm…uhh," Talin stammered. She was beautiful. Certainly not a peasant. She stared at him, her beautiful green eyes piercing him as much as the snowflakes. Her skin of ice, her hair of fire.

"Make it quick now," she snapped. "I am required to report back to the Lady's chambers before the day is half over. I don't have time for city scum like you."

"Uh, where am I," Talin managed to say.

"Oh, you're one of those magic…folk then," she said, the contempt in her voice obvious. "I know all about your kind. You just appear in a city one day, just wave your hands around, saying it's all for the children, making them laugh and showing them all your pretty little tricks. I know what you're really up to. You go off an vanish in the middle of the night from whatever town you happen to be "performing" in, off and vanish, along with the money of all the innocent townspeople too! They wake up in the morning to find you've completely cleaned out the whole city's coffers. Don't think I'll not have the guards set on you! Guards! Guards," she ran off into the crowd shouting.

Most people ignored her, including the guards, or at least, didn't seem to care, but they heard her, and they would be on edge around him. Magic certainly wasn't illegal, but it _was _frowned upon, especially by many of the city folk. That group of thugs that they had finally caught in Windhelm a few years back certainly hadn't helped. Petty criminals, they would have been, if it weren't for the fact that they had used magic in every one of their crimes. Magic had always been looked down upon in these parts, viewed as dishonest, but the crimes had only served to make people edgier regarding sorcery.

Talin had grown up in the countryside, where the land wasn't exactly generous. He had been taught the use of magic by his father at an early age, helpful for ensuring that the crops stayed healthy, and that his family stayed safe on those long, bitter cold, winter nights. Knowing the life he faced as a mage at home, he had run off to the Imperial City the day he came of age.

He came out of his thoughts at a familiar sight; the sign of the Howling Helm creaking overhead as it swung in the wind. Helarchen Creek! He knew the town looked familiar. Though it had been quite a few years since, he had come here often as a young boy, and his father had come here often to trade. Why, his farm was not twenty five miles to the west! Quickly he dived into the inn, hoping to see a familiar face, someone who could set him on the right path. Someone in this world besides Ria. He figured the crowd would be glad to have him out of their midst anyway.

As he walked in through the doorway, into the U-shaped common room, the din of the tavern reached his ears, filled his head. Sounds of joy and laughter. Sounds he thought he'd not hear again. A thick haze clung to the ceiling and the room smelled of pipe smoke and ale. Massive fires blazed on the hearths, set in the walls on either side of the room, warming his bones. He was home again.

It had been nearly a year and a half since Talin had left home to train as a mage under Ria. Though he was certainly eager for news, and even more so to finally see his family after so long, Talin waited for a moment, standing in the puddle that had formed from the snow by the door, simply taking it in. Home. A place of safety. Even with such an impossible journey laid before him, Talin thought, just for a moment that his task just might be possible after all. The patrons laughed and smiled, drunk. They had not the slightest idea of the ordeal that he had been through. They would freeze, quake in fear if they ever saw a goblin. "Lucky bastards," Talin thought.

A gruff "get outta the way" came from behind as another patron pushed past him into the common room. Walking towards the bar, he searched for a familiar face. And, sure enough, he found one.

Talin knew not how long Mother Asgeld had worked as a serving maid at the Howling Helm, and he dare not guess her age, but he remembered her from coming here as a young lad, and he remembered his father occasionally mentioning her after his trips into the city.

As he approached her by the bar, wiping off a mug, a curious look came over her face, quickly replaced by a broad smile. But there was something else there too, worry? He wondered what could worry her. Seeing him, she hurried to meet him before drawing him aside into the kitchen at the back of the common room. It was quieter there, and without ears ravenous for a bit of gossip. Mother Asgeld beamed, a smile from ear to ear.

"My goodness, have you grown," she exclaimed. "The last time I saw you, you were this big." She made a motion with her hand, indicating his height. "I thought I'd never see you again. Where have you been off to, Talin?"

He told her all about how he had left to become a mage. How he had trained under Ria. How he had met the emperor, seen the Imperial Palace, had adventures, fought goblins in the high passes. He talked about how Burba had become a minstrel somewhere, how Nil had met a woman and run off. He, of course, left out the bit about Tharn and the sewers, the death of Ria. There was no need to place such a weighty issue upon her, and it helped Talin not to think about such things, at least for now, before he set off to defeat the Imperial Battlemage. He nearly chuckled at that thought. He made up some story about how he had talked his way out of training for the week, and how he had run off to see his family, and how he had almost been caught by one of the guards. But at the mention of his family, her smile faded.

There was silence for a moment after Talin had finished. Mother Asgeld frowned at the floor. In the common room there was a cry for more ale. Outside, the wind howled through a nearby alleyway. He could still smell the pipe smoke. It hung thick, just as did the silence. Finally, Talin spoke up.

"Mother Asgeld, is something wrong?"

Suddenly, she looked up, shaken out of her own thoughts. She stared at him grimly for a moment before replying. "Oh, dearie, I wish so much I didn't have to be the one to tell you this." She hesitated, her face grim. "About a year ago your father came in one day. He was always a bright young lad, always talking, laughing, drinking. A good man, yes. But this time, this one time, he was different. I asked him what was wrong. He explained to me that his wife had fallen ill, very ill. Your mother was sick, and he did not have the faintest idea what had happened. He said that he tried to heal her with magic, that he had done everything he could, but that nothing was working.

"I told him that I could heal. Most people don't know, but I know a bit o' sorcery, and I know my way around a medicine cabinet. I offered him my services and he accepted. That night I left the inn with him and he took me back to your farm in a cart. I explained to your father that I would need to collect some herbs to mix together, and had him drop me off in a meadow nearby, before he himself went back home. He offered to stay with me, offered protection while I gathered up my herbs, but I refused. Told him that I could take care of myself out there, and he went back to stay with your mother, said he'd be back in an hour.

"Well, first, one hour past, then two. I decided to walk back, make sure everything was okay. It wasn't far back to the farmhouse. And when I got back there…" She hesitated again, looking at the floor. "And when I got back, they had vanished. Every last one of them. There was no sign of struggle. It looked as if they had just up and left. Your little brother too. Listen, I'm sorry, I really am.

"I looked and looked. For days, I would go out there every afternoon, but I never spotted a trace of them. It was as if they just vanished."

Talin simply stared ahead in disbelief. He did not know what to think. Everything in the world, everything he had ever known was, truly, gone. He felt utterly alone. He had nowhere to go. He stood there like that for a moment. So many things rushing through his mind, not comprehending any of them. Finally, he simply turned around and stepped out of the room, walking towards the exit.

"Wait," Mother Asgeld cried after him.

He was going back home. He didn't care about Tharn any longer. He would fix up the house and he would live in it. From there he would set out to find them. He would look high and low for them. They couldn't have just disappeared. Yes, that is how he could spend the rest of his life. Tharn could destroy the world for all he cared, but he wouldn't destroy his family. He had no time for the old woman behind him. He was set on his course.

"Wait," she cried again, hurrying after him.

He kept on walking.

"Wait!" By now the eyes of the whole common room were on the two of them. He could feel them penetrating his back. The old woman hurried after him. He could hear her behind him. Breathing heavily, distressed. Finally he stopped. She caught up with him, sputtering. "Listen, there's more," she said.

The common room was utterly silent now, eyes and ears on them, listening intently. Mother Asgeld turned to the people. "Go back to your ale. Why don't you mind your own business. Or do I have to throw you all out, or cut your tongues so none of you be spoutin' gossip everywhere." That got them to all turn back.

"Listen," she started again. "I saw the man who did it, with me own two eyes. Still gives me nightmares, but I saw him in the twilight, while I was returning to the house." Talin was listening now. Anything that might help his family was valuable.

"He wore a dark cloak…had glowing eyes…green. He had a staff too, intricately carved. Wood and gold, with birds and leaves, and flowers. I caught a glimpse of his face too. His eyes were sunk, and his nose long and crooked. His face was pale. He wore a chain around his neck, gold, with a big emerald at the end, shaped like a jagged peak.

"He was only there a split second, then he turned around and vanished into thin air, after he saw me. The very air just rippled, and him with it, and then he was gone. I didn't see your ma or your pa, or your little brother, Talin, but there's no doubtin' that that man had something to do with it. Mark my words, he was evil. Very, evil."

Tharn. So he had had a hand in this also. Besides the glowing eyes and the dark cloak, that had to be Tharn. The staff was Tharn's own, and the emerald was that of the Imperial battlemage. He needed to contact Ria, somehow.

He turned to run again, but Mother Asgeld caught his shoulder.

"Be careful out there child," Mother Asgeld said. "It is a dangerous world, and even more so for someone of your…profession. Keep a watchful eye, and a sharp mind. Whatever it is you're wrapped up in, I don't want to know, but it look's a dangerous game you're playing, so take care of yourself."

Talin turned to leave again, but, once more, Mother Asgeld caught him. "Your father would want you to have this." She said, as she handed him a sword, though discreetly wrapped in a sheet of white cloth, he recognized the hilt. It had been his father's.

"He told me after you left, that one day, you'd come through here. He felt it. He said to me 'Mother, next time you see the lad, he'll be a man, mark my words, a great man. More powerful than me, stronger, a better man. Likely as not, he won't remember his poor old da, but I want him to have this anyway. Maybe it'll remind him.'"

"Thank you," Talin said.

"There's one more thing, boyo, I think you'll be needing one of these too," Mother Asgeld said, handing him a heavy cloak. "It's a chill day out there, and you can't be walking around in a bunch o' rags. There's a horse out back, too, if you'll be needing a means of travel. The dark brown one the white spot on her nose. Rainy's her name."

He tried on the cloak. It fit him, snugly. It was warm, good. He thanked her again, and she hugged him.

"You're a good man, Talin, and I don't want to see you get hurt," she whispered into his ear. "Find your family."

And with that, he turned and left the Howling Helm, and the sounds of joy, the smell of pipe smoke, the warmth of the hearth. He left home. He knew not what lay ahead, only that he had to get his family back from Tharn.

His empty home was likely gone, he realized, taken back by the wilderness, the whole farm reclaimed. If he went back, he would have to start over completely. He decided he would go to Winterhold. It wasn't too far away. And he might be able to make it there before darkness fell.

He sold the extra odds and ends he had to a hawker, enough gold to last him a week or so. Bundling his cloak tightly about him, he set off down the wide boulevard towards the open city gates. The weather beat at him, but he was unfazed as he set off down the hard packed road, the first step of many in a long adventure.

**A/N Sorry that it's been so long since the last update. Between July 4, and my computer crashing, and work, I haven't had as much time to write as I like. But at least for the summer, I'll try to get out one or two chapter every week. Thanks to the folks who favorited and reviewed the last couple of chapters. It makes it worth it. Anyway, I hope you've been enjoying the story thus far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.**

**-Alex**


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